Forever Strong: The Unbroken Promise
by Ark Navy
Summary: It's been sixteen years since her husband's untimely death, and Sheena comes to realize the one she lost was never really gone at all. COMPLETE...
1. Sixteen Years Ago

**Forever Strong: The Unbroken Promise**

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**Summary**: It's been sixteen years since her husband's untimely death, and Sheena comes to realize the one she lost was never really gone at all.

**Spoilers**: For the game and the previous Sheelos fics I have written.

**A/N**: Ehehe... remember that little 'bottle-cap fic' I mentioned at the end of Never and Forever? Well, I got started on it, and it was just such a pleasure to write, that it kinda turned into this big... thing. There'll be three chapters to it, then I can finally put an end to this on-going Sheelos saga, so it is STRICTLY Sheelos from here on out.

Hmm, now that I think about it, this story might get so sappy that if someone tried to push it off a cliff, it'd stick. (WTF was that? I need to find new comic relief...)

**Post-note**: After looking over this, it hit me that Sheena has purple hair, not black. I don't know how I missed that, but either way, I can imagine Jay-Arr better with black hair than purple. I'm no genealogy expert, but if two browns can have blonde or two blacks a blonde, then a red and a purple can have a black... right?

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Mmm... licorice... I love licorice... Licorice, licorice, lico—"_Zelos! Get your butt out of bed **right now**_!"

Rinn, our hundred-fifty pound retriever, yawns lazily as I pull the covers over my head for the third time this morning, failing to notice the choice of name mother uses. I just want to get back to that dream about licorice... "_It is_!"

She didn't like that response, "Don't you try and smart talk me, now get out of bed!"

"_I am_!" I yell back as I lay on the floor, pillow, sheets and all, so I'm 'technically' out of bed. All is silent for a while, so I call it safe to go back to sleep...

Lucky Lesson Five: **Nothing** is safe when mom's angry.

The next thing I know, I'm being dragged down the stairs by the sheets I'm entangled in. Before mom can make it outside and summon that crazy-arctic lady with her whacked out hound, I spring from the covers, exclaiming: "I'm up, I'm up!"

"Good," she retorts, wrapping the excess blankets around her arm, and then vehemently throwing them to me, "Now put this away and make yourself presentable. I've let you sleep in for the past hour or so. Obviously that was a mistake..." she growls as she returns downstairs.

Grudgingly, I comply. What's so special about today? Goddess knows she'd slap me if she had heard that... maybe that's why I forget so much... In any case, this day every year she always does something weird—err, no, never that, more of 'out of the ordinary', yeah, that's it. Last year she traveled to Heimdell, or to the Torrent Forest really, saying she had to see someone about something with the past, and the year before that she took a route that she had taken on one of her journeys...

...with Dad... Yeah, now I remember. Today's the day the backstabbing jerk died on her, exactly sixteen years ago. I don't see why she gets so somber about it, I mean, he's dead and there's nothing anyone can do about that. Besides, he betrayed her and everyone she was with at the time, that's what I've heard.

So why did she choose _him_? Why am I _his_ son?

I take a quick glance in the mirror, realizing mom was right: I'm a mess. My long, black hair's sprouting out of my head at just about every angle possible, and I really don't believe jeans and an undershirt go in the category of 'formal'. Hastily, I change into the first thing I could grab from my closet while running a comb through my hair: a red and gold vest-cloak and black pants to match, works for me.

Still working the button-latches of the vest-cloak, I grab the remainder of my snack last night, a half eaten apple, and slide down the railing. Even mom compliments my speed, then however, grimaces at the night old apple stuffed in my mouth, sighing something around the lines of: "Boys will be boys..."

I shrug, temporarily removing the apple from my mouth to counter, "And what will be, will be."

Usually she can find a comeback to most anything I, or anyone else for that matter, can conjure. This, however, leaves her speechless, literally; all she does is turn and gape at me. After some time, she choked out: "What... did you say... Zelos?" she graced my name as if it were some lost, archaic, miraculous spell.

Freaky. "What will be... will be." I repeat in almost a questioning tone, had I said something I shouldn't have? "Wh-why? What's with that look? Should I not say that, or some'nn?" I blurt, since her gawking is really starting to creep me out.

She takes a deep breath, and for a moment, it looks like her eyes are filled with tears—tears filled to the brim with various emotions I'd never seen her even nick the surface of. As she releases it though, the warm but chiding glow returns to her eyes as she softly says, "No... you should say it more often, Jay-Arr..."

Lucky Lesson Three: When clueless, just smile and nod.

She turns to head for the door, I whistle for Rinn, who comes bounding down the flight of stairs with the elegance and grace of a boulder; a thin trail of slobber hangs from his mouth. Without even a glance towards me, he rushes past and tackles Mom from behind. She didn't have a prayer.

"Oh my Godd—" she gasps before he pins her completely. Between being drooled over and licked, mom manages: "Rinn! Off! _Off, you big oaf_!"

Tail wagging, he steps off, still smiling his stupid grin. Wiping the dog saliva from her face, she glares daggers at me. "Did you tell him where we're going?"

I hold up my hands in defense, "In all honesty, I don't even know where we're going, otherwise, I would have." I look over to Rinn, whose swinging tail at this point has the destructive power of a wrecking ball, "But judging by his crazier than normal look, I'd say we're going to Uncle Lloyd and Aunt Colette's house?"

At the slightest mention of them, Rinn goes ape—err, again—and mom barely avoids another attack. "C'mon, mutt! You're seventy dog years old, crack a hip already!"

"Alright, you can come. Settle down, you behemoth!" I say, pulling him away from her. She stands up, wiping the dirt from her clothes. "Soo, we are going _there_?" I ask to confirm, being careful as not to say where exactly.

"Yeah," she replies.

Before I can stop myself, I say, "But what about the anniversary? Are you—" she freezes, I've done it. I've said something I shouldn't have. To my surprise, she coldly says: "Go on..."

I really don't want to; I do anyway. "...going to dump me at their place... again?"

Her eyes soften, as does her voice. "You... remember that far back?"

I try to speak, to say something in my own defense, but all I can do is nod meekly. Nevertheless, she answers my question: "No... This time you're coming with me."

We stand there in silence, the murmur of a busy city but milieu fuzz to us. Finally, she says, "Well, c'mon. I'll let you drive this time; someone needs to cover Rinn's eyes so he doesn't puke... again."

"Seriously? I get to drive the Rheaird!"

"This time, and only because I know you know where you're going."


	2. Good Days

**Forever Strong: The Unbroken Promise**

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**A/N:** The original chapter got mixed up by with the last chapter, thereby deleting on . Due to a history of viruses on my computers, I do not have the original of the second chapter. Until--if ever--this chapter gets rewritten, here is a summary of what happened during this chapter. It's hardly acceptable as far as a story goes, but I hope it can suffice as a piece of the plot-puzzle.

The second chapter followed the two as they went to a reunion of sorts with all the other original eight heroes at Lloyd house where they were having a picnic. Sheena caught up with the others while Jay-Arr had to keep Rinn tabs on Rinn and Noishe for a bit so they didn't eat the buffet.

As in the original, Colloyd was shipped in this story and as a product came the twelve-year-old blonde haired, brown eyed, klutzy dual-swordsman ironically nicknamed Lucky. He and Jay-Arr are have a relationship similar to Zelos and Lloyd (naturally) so after a while wander off into the Iselia woods where Lucky shows him the spot where their parents fought off "a demon from hell" (the Sword-dancer). Lucky insists the grounds are cursed because the monster set foot there, so is terrified to go too close to it in fear of it coming back.

Of course, his friend plays on this fear by crying wolf--or Sword-dancer, really--until, of course, there actually /is/ a monster. Lucky, being too inexperienced to help fend off the creature, is instructed by Jay-Arr to get away, and they try the ol' distract-and-attack in which Lucky climbs up a tall tree and distracts the monster while Jay-Arr tries to cast the crap out of it with his... elementary spells, at best. The creature is a water monster, however, Jay-Arr doesn't know any lightning spells. Not good.

He tries multitudes of different attacks but nothing seems to work. Exasperated, he continues trying spells, when he hears a voice and a hand on his shoulder, "Hope you're ready for this one, kid." Mana swarms around him and he hears, "Thunder Blade!" cast from his own mana. With the monster effectively killed off, Lucky climbs down and is amazed at his friend's skills. Jay-Arr, on the other hand, was a little unnerved, to say the least.

Just trying to get away from the area, he challenges Lucky to a race back to Lloyd's. Unfortunately for him, Lucky uses Noishe to propel him to an easy victory.

Upon their return, they try to explain what happened, leading only to more banter between the original eight. That's when Origin summons Sheena back to the Torrent Forest, saying he has something for her, and the two excuse themselves early and head off. ...Which is where chapter three picks up...


	3. What Happened?

**Forever Strong: The Unbroken Promise**

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**A/N**: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER. After finishing this, it seemed that this part of the original chapter seemed awfully redundant and just delayed the ending. Welp, that wouldn't do. So, this chapter is basically me not being able to let go of the filler ficlets I managed to whip up within this story.

**Post-Note:** :squeals: I don't care what anyone says! I LOVE THIS CHAPTER and am proud of it, dammit! X3

* * *

"So… what's your guess?"

"I can't tell you just yet,"

I cross my arms and frown a bit, of course she can't see me doing this so I'm not reprimanded for 'recklessness on the rheaird'. Heh, if only she knew… "Okay then, what can you tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you being so evasive?" I blurt without thinking.

She waves her hand through the air, as if to swat my comment away, saying, "I'm not trying to be evasive, you're just not being specific enough!" She then sighs, turning to me and speaking in a low voice, "…What's this about?"

I can't help but chuckle darkly. "I've been thinking lately, I've got a mother who just can't seem to forget the past with this wacky world-savior title on her shoulders and the power of the Summon Spirits at her disposal while her kid was a product of a one-night-stand… Things just don't add up. Everyone has a natural curiosity towards the unknown."

"Jay-Arr, that's pure bull, and you know that. I never said anything like that!" she says in a dangerous voice. Given any other situation, I'd be scared stiff. Not now, though, I'm not ending this until I have some information to work off of.

"Oh yeah, that's right: You never told me anything!"

Her mana visibly spikes, and she's angrier than I've ever seen her before. "Jay-Arr, I swear to God if you'd just—" she stops mid-sentence, deciding to bring down the rheaird. This, I am not prepared for and almost slip off the side before she grabs my arm, hissing rhetorically, "Would you just hold on?"

She docks the rheaird in an unfamiliar forest. I follow her lead and jump off as she paces forward a bit, attempting to curb her anger. Finally, she sighs, "Okay, I'll admit, I haven't told you anything, but by no means does that give you the right to make up such heinous stories. …How in the world did you think up anything like that?"

"Books, mother, books." Though it may seem like a completely bogus answer, it's actually quite true. All the stupid books we were assigned to read over the course of the school years always had some mishap of that sort. I grow quieter as I go on, "That, and I… uh, kinda overheard some of the church people talking about it a couple years ago…"

She slaps her hand on her head, exclaiming, "For Martel's sake, Zelos, why do you listen to _them_!" then she sighs in frustration, with me or with herself is unclear. "You really don't know much, do you?"

I shrug, "Not my fault,"

"I walked right into that one…" she mutters before asking, "Alright, I'm open to questions; what is it you want to know so much?"

I give this a moment of thought. Logically, I should ask the most important things first. "Just who was he?"

She looks a bit guilty, not like what she did was a disastrous offense, but more as if she's sorry for not doing this earlier and she doesn't want to do this now. "Well, you're named after him, so naturally his name's—"

"You're such a sap, mom."

"I know," she replies, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, his name was 'Zelos Wilder', he was the Chosen of Mana—second in power only to the King, that's why we unfortunately have so much influence—of Tethe'alla back when the worlds were—"

"Tethe'alla? You mean the moon?" I can't help but blurt, sometimes my mouth just runs on its own.

She smiles, shaking her head. "You know, that's exactly what Genis said when I first told them I was from a world different than theirs. But no. Tethe'alla was what we called the world that contained places like Meltokio, Sybak, Altamira, Heimdall, and Flanoir. Sylvarant was the other word that Lloyd, Colette, Genis and Raine lived, with cities like Palmacosta, Iselia, Asgard…"

I nod, "So, basically 'Sylvarant' had all the hick towns?"

"If it helps you remember…"

"Okay, so exactly what happened between you and him?"

She sheepishly hides her face behind her hand, "I assume you want the whole truth… right?"

"I want the truth, the whole truth, and nuttin' but the truth." I say, subtly grinning as if I've won this battle; I think I have, anyway.

She smiles, biting her lower lip. "Well," she starts slowly. "I first met him when I was about your age. I was in Meltokio for business regarding man-made Summon Spirits at the Elemental Research Academy. When the Inn had filled up, he offered me a room to stay in for the night, but—"

My eyes grow wide, "And you accepted and—"

"No! Now let me finish," she cuts me off sharply, knowing precisely what I was going to say. "I didn't accept his offer… for the first night. After one night when the King's knights caught me staying at the Elemental Research Lab with the half-elves, they made me leave immediately until the Summon Spirit was ready, which would be only a day or two more. That much time was too little to go home and return , so obviously I needed somewhere to stay and had no choice but to take up his offer…

"Nothing happened," She adds quickly before I can open my mouth, "So after I forged the pact with Corrine—who's now known as Verius—I returned back to my home village for the next four years until I was assigned to assassinate the Chosen of Sylvarant—Colette. Of course, to prep for that, I had to meet with the King which meant going to Meltokio yet again. Luckily for me, I didn't see him that visit.

"So I traveled to Sylvarant and met the Chosen's group: Lloyd, Colette, Genis, Raine and a mercenary named Kratos, who we later found out worked for Cruxis, the organization we were fighting, and was Lloyd's thought-to-be-dead father. I was defeated twice by their group, partially thanks to my affinity for falling into holes. A third time I had come close to death in Luin when I was defending the citizens from the Desians. I'd told them they could finish me off if they wanted, but they didn't. In fact, they healed me back to full health, so in return, I helped them demolish the Human Ranch that had destroyed Luin.

"I saw their side of the story and traveled with them as they went to 'Regenerate the World', which was when we found out about Kratos working with Cruxis, and managed to steal the Rheairds and travel back to Tethe'alla in hopes of saving the soulless Colette. As they traveled to Meltokio, I lagged back to report my failure… then when I met them next, your father was with them. Supposedly by 'Order of the King'.

"So then things went from there, until we reached the end of our journey when we managed to save the Mana Tree and reunite the worlds. I had been assigned by His Majesty to send a peace letter out to Sylvarant, with Zelos as my accomplice. …And after a lot of rather dangerous and tedious events we finally reached our destination… and he had finally managed to get me to fall for him."

I raise my eyebrows, harboring great interest in this story; it was finally starting to get to the good parts. "So he was after you from the start, huh?"

She twisted her hair between two fingers, "You could say that… Anyway, he proposed to me suddenly—it was pretty funny actually, the way he did it. Nothing like he had planned—and I accepted…"

Her voice drops to a melancholy pitch, "Then, just as we were married, your father was… shot. Shot by an arrow from… from my home village. The arrow hit his heart directly and was filled with a deadly and incurable toxin." It then dies to a whisper. I never knew this hurt her so much… "He died within a minute,"

I don't know what to say in regards to this. I never imagined it went like that, anything and everything but that. I run the story through my head again, but still two things don't click. I have to ask. "So… does that mean…" My eyes grow wider with realization, "…_I'M AN ACCIDENTAL PRODUCT OF A PRE-MARITAL NIGHT OF THOUGHTLESS LUST AND PLEASURE?_!"

She crosses her arms over he chest, slightly… blushing, maybe? "…For the record, he started it."

"So I should thank him for having an uncontrollable sex drive?"

She pauses, "You know, that just about hits the nail on the head…"

I blanch completely. "You're not supposed to say that!"

She shrugs, "You wanted the honest truth…"

"But I didn't mean… Aagh!" I turn away from her in frustration, covering my eyes in vain attempts to make the images go away. No child should have to imagine their parents as sexual dynamos, even if it was in their 'younger days'. Again, words tumble out of my mouth without my consent and I catch myself grumbling, "Maybe that's why you left me with Lloyd and Colette…"

Now I've gone and done it. "What!" she roars, punctuating it with a fearsome Raine Slap. I fall face forward into the ground with my hands still over my eyes. Damn, she hasn't done this since the time I set the carpet on fire and tried to put it out with a nearby Hydra Dagger—last week, I believe it was. "I had an arrest and three attempts on my life when you were less than a week, sooner or later they were bound to come for you as well!"

I pull my head out from the earth; screw the screwing, I was wanted dead as a newborn! "Attempts at your life?" I question, spitting out some dirt, "Like assassinations?"

"Exactly," she replies austerely. "But I managed to avoid both of us being killed."

I move to a sitting position, looking up at her like a child expecting a story… oh wait. "Who'd want to put a hit on you?"

"A lot of angry Meltokians saying your father's death was planned out." she says shaking her head skeptically. "…Have you ever heard of the Downfall of Meltokio plan?"

I shake my head.

"Good, because there never was one," she points out irritably. I hate it when she does that, making me believe something when it's really just made up and totally incorrect. She enjoys my humiliation though, I swear… "but the King and everyone else in Tethe'alla insisted I still worked with Mizuho even after Leaving. Meltokio has always had it out for Mizuho…"

I nod, "So… your home village, Mizuho, sent somebody out to kill Dad?" It feels weird to say that, almost as if I'm mixing in a word from another language. "Then since Meltokio thought you were still with Mizuho, they accused you of planning a scheme to bring Meltokio into ruin?"

"Yes, but at first, only the assassin was charged with murder. Two months later, the King became deathly ill after eating foods from Mizuho, so they decided it was a plot to overthrow Meltokio especially after the Pope had been caught corrupt some time ago. Subsequently, I, as well as the entire village of Mizuho, was charged with treason and murder."

Before she can go on, I grin, saying, "Lemme guess, it was just a big case of food poisoning?"

She frowns somewhat, "How'd you know…?" she shrugs to herself and continues, "Anyway, I didn't know about those charges until I returned to the city a couple months later and was attacked three times."

I feel a delayed sense of confusion. I didn't pay too much attention when the teacher went over forms of government and stuff like that—heck, I never pay much attention any day—but I learned enough to know charges, like trials and such, aren't something too common in a monarchy. "From the way you're describing this, it sounds like they held a court trial. Why would they do that when the King could just point and—"

"He couldn't do that when it concerned an entire village, internal strife would surely break out, then possibly a war, et cetra, et cetra…"

To break from the somewhat dark themes in this story, I add, "But everything turned out okay in the end, right?"

She sighs at my blithe attitude. "In the end, yes, but it was disastrous…"

* * *

'_Lloyd and Colette –_

_The trial has finally ended and I've had two more attempts at my life from those not satisfied with the verdict. Once the final details get worked out between Mizuho and Meltokio, I'll be safe at last. If all goes well, I can come in a week. I'm so grateful to you for taking care of him for all this time. I don't know what I'd do without you.'_

That was what the letter said—the letter they had received _three_ weeks ago. Naturally, they started to grow more apprehensive with each passing day; it wasn't like Sheena to go against her word.

Lloyd's gaze remained concretely transfixed on the view outside. For the past few days it had been pouring down rain, thus making travel next to unbearable. Both he and Colette worried constantly for their friend, but were increasingly uncertain about their decision to stay put. Long back, Sheena had specifically told them to keep out of the land under Tethe'alla's reign ever since word of their second-in-command, the Chosen's, assassination at the hands of a Mizuhoan. Especially due to the ninja clan's constant cloak-and-daggers persona towards the rest of the world. Meltokio only saw the clan as a black sheep in their worldly flock—a black, double-crossing, rabid, carnivorous sheep.

Colette sighed, "Jay-Arr's bee so peculiar lately…"

Lloyd shrugged, his eyes still glued outside. "Maybe he's just learned how to entertain himself,"

She raised her eyebrows and looked into the other room skeptically. A twenty-two month old Jay-Arr sat contently in the middle of a seemingly deserted room, reaching towards the ceiling and giggling ever so often. Then he'd likely roll onto his front side, get up and run laps around the room, laughing and screaming as if he was having the time of his life. For all they knew, he very well could be; they learned not to question what went on in the minds of others.

Still, she had her dubious side—though seldom seen, it was there. "Whatever he's doing, he's sure having a fun time doing it,"

Another delighted squeal came from the other room, shortly followed by a fit of giggles. Colette couldn't help but smile in spite of herself. "When Sheena comes, it's certainly going to be harder than I thought to give him back. He's really starting to grow on me…"

"If Sheena makes it back," he reminded her despondently.

Colette frowned, "Lloyd, please stop being so negative. I'm worried for her too, but worrying does nothing. Besides, I'm sure she's fine…"

"So let's take action." He suggested, finally turning from the window.

"But she told us not to get involved!"

He paused to think, "We're not getting involved, we're just taking a trip to Meltokio. If we happen to spot Sheena or something out of the ordinary—"

She shook her head furiously. "We can't! They already know us. Besides, what if Sheena comes and we're not here, then what?"

"Then I'll go," he opted. "and you can stay here with Jay-Arr in case she does come back. I'll check back here every night unless something dire happens. It's unlikely, but—"

"Bye-bye!" the toddler cheerfully squealed from the other room.

After being slightly distracted but his outburst, Lloyd awkwardly finished, "—it's still possible."

She sighed, admitting defeat. "Just be careful won't you?"

He gave her a reassuring smile before grabbing his materials and heading out the door. "Don't worry, I will."

Colette watched from the window as he took the rheaird and disappeared unto the stormy clouds beyond. She felt a tiny tug at her leggings; Jay-Arr stood next to her with his small head tilted in questioning. He held out his hand with what appeared to be a fine red thread clasped strongly between his tiny fingers and palm.

Colette blinked, suspecting he'd been rummaging through the pile of fabrics, ores and materials of the trade Dirk and Lloyd often left lying around the house. "What do you have there, Zelos Jay-Arr?"

"No," he answered, retracting his hand to his chest and covering it with his other. He knew various words, such as 'Lloyd', 'Colette' (but more often 'Co-Co'), 'food', 'juice', 'hi', 'bye', 'Noishe', 'yes' and his favorite as of recent 'no'. However, he still had a long way to go before he could correctly use most of them in context, as he just proved.

His first word though, was something that still puzzled the couple. They had never used this word in the way he ended up saying it, nor did they really say it enough to imbed it into the toddler's mind. There was one person they knew that used the word often enough, but that person, well…

His first word, perhaps not even a word to the definition, had been, "Hehehe,"

* * *

Before long, Lloyd had landed just outside Meltokio without fuss. As he had suspected, guards had been stationed at the gate and the gate itself shut tight. He knew if he just walked up to the guards and requested entrance, he'd likely be denied, possibly even investigated. Luckily for him, he always kept a change of outfit with him.

Ducking back into a nearby forest, he swiftly changed into his 'Nobleman' outfit he'd received at Zelos's party sometime ago. He smiled sadly at the memories of that crazy night; Genis attempting to flirt with Presea, Colette tripping and knocking over a table full of food, Sheena just about KO-ing Zelos after he'd made a remark about her dress…

Poor Sheena, he was really an irreplaceable personality…

Lloyd shook his head, banishing the recollections back to the past.

Casually—but with a hint of authority—he strolled up to the gates and its guards. "I request entrance into the city,"

Both guards turned their attention to him. One nodded in approval while the other pulled out a small, oval shaped device and held out to Lloyd.

"…Am I supposed to take that?…" Lloyd hesitantly asked the guard, trying to mask his complete confusion.

The opposite knight rolled his eyes behind his suit of armor, sighing, "Please place your thumb on the identifier,"

Lloyd blinked, but complied. The apparatus buzzed temporarily before its blue glow turned green, words appearing on the screen. They nodded and opened the gate,

"Welcome back, Sir Bud."

He sighed, "Thank you,"

Inside the city, everything seemed as per usual—just with more knights stationed everywhere. Venturing further into the city however was like trying to weave through a brick. A large crowd had gathered near the nobles' quarters, most of them middle-classmen, only a select few actually nobles. He could hear people shouting things like, "Yeah! Strike 'er out!" and "You hit like a friggin' priss!" or just the loud chanting of "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

He squeezed his way through the mob to get a better view of the brawl. He had a bad feeling about this…

Center stage, two men armed with a short sword each—and a third armed with a weapon Lloyd couldn't identify—had ganged up and were incessantly attacking a weary ninja from different angles, keeping her on her toes. It was obvious they had the upper edge on her,—after all, three-on-ones aren't the fairest fights—within no time she was bound to fall out of rhythm and then it'd all be over.

Pushing past the crowd, Lloyd jumped into the battle without a second thought. Just as he'd expected, Sheena couldn't turn fast enough to block a blow from one of the swordsmen and stumbled forward into the other, unleashing a victorious cheer from the crowd.

With the blunt side of his blade, Lloyd knocked out one of the assailants and pulled a disoriented Sheena back before the swordsmen could deliver a finishing blow. "Sheena! Are you okay?" he asked quickly.

At his touch her ninja senses kicked into gear, swiftly dropping to the ground and swiping his feet out from underneath him, then using his momentum to hurl him into the attacker wielding the unfamiliar weapon. Without even glancing at the result of her action, she leapt forward, clashing with the dagger of her opponent.

Luckily, her smart angle of attack more than made up for her cards' flimsiness as compared to the sturdy metal of the sword, and she expertly slipped her arm beneath his. Once she distracted him with a grab for the hilt of his sword, Sheena sidled backward, then forward with a forceful strike that sent him onto the ground without his sword.

She now brandished the sword and pointed it at his neck as she jadedly towered over him. "How many times do I have to tell you," she whispered with a somnolent edge. "I loved him with my life; I'd kill myself eons before I'd even consider murdering him. …And if killing you would bring him back, I'd do it without a second thought."

That being said, Sheena tossed the dagger aside, looking about ready to collapse. Lloyd jumped up and placed a steady hand on her back, this time making sure she could see his face so she wouldn't hurl him across the city again. "Sheena, are you okay? Were they after your life?"

"Lloyd?" she said breathlessly, then hissed, "What are you doing here? I told you not to get involved!"

"We were worried about you!" he protested. "We thought something terrible had happened…" at that moment the crowd quickly dispersed and soldiers surrounded them. Lloyd growled under his breath, "…and I hate it when we're right…"

"Freeze! You five are hereby under arrest for breaking the peace! You are to come with us quietly or we will resort to using force."

"What!" Lloyd shouted angrily. "Those guys were trying to assassinate her! She was just defending herself!"

The lead soldier repeated himself. "You are to come with us quietly or we will resort to using force."

Sheena sighed and looked down; she spoke softly and dejectedly. "Just shut up, Lloyd. If you disagree with them, they'll hold you in contempt and charge you with unwillingness to comply with an officer. It's just not worth it."

Lloyd looked at her with disbelief as she was handcuffed and taken away, the same soon done to him. "Sheena…"

Hot tears welled up in her eyes. She looked down further to try to hide her tears. "Nothing," she sputtered, "…nothing is worth it, anymore…"

He remained quiet for the rest of the way to the prison, attempting to figure out things in his head. He'd never seen Sheena so distraught—maybe once before—but never hopeless and lifeless to match. The soldiers removed their cuffs as they placed them in a cell, shut the door and left. Sheena leaned backward against the wall and slid down to a sitting position, hiding her head behind her knees. Ever so slightly he could see her body shake with sobs.

Lloyd moved to sit down next to her, that was when she broke. Her weeping was now audible, but still bitten back, as always and her sobbing racked her entire body. He placed his arm around her in a friendly gesture, silently waiting for her to speak, if she wanted to.

After a few minutes, she took a deep, stabilizing breath. "It's the same thing… over and over again…" she choked, "A murder attempt, an arrest, a night in a cold cell, then released by order of the King only to walk out onto the streets and be attacked again,"

He said nothing; sometimes silent understanding could be more soothing than words.

"I can't… I can't escape it," whispered Sheena, "What am I supposed to do?"

Whether her question was rhetorical or not, he didn't know what to say. After all, he was the one who figured it'd all work out as long as he didn't give up, it was practically his mantra. In this case though, that'd just make things worse… damn it all, he was never too good at using his head.

"You can't give up, Sheena," Lloyd started slowly, but strongly. "I know in this situation that's basically useless, but… But I know one thing that's still worth fighting for if nothing else…"

"What?"

He smiled. "Your son, Jay-Arr. …He needs his mother,"

Behind her hands, her eyes went wide. Sheena seemed to grow pale. "Oh my god… I…" she couldn't contain herself anymore, and flung herself into Lloyd's arms, crying into his chest. "Oh my god…"

He blinked in surprise. He wanted to say more, he wanted to console her, but he found all he could do was take her in his arms—like Zelos would've done.

She was always so independent, so headstrong… but with Zelos, all of what kept her strong seemed to vanish. She had become the epitome of what she despised the most about love: dependency. Surely, she realized this as well. But it only deepened her wound.

If she couldn't be strong, then he'd have to be strong enough for the both of them. "Let's go home, Sheena." He said gently, helping her to her feet.

"Wha-what? But if we escape—"

Lloyd began expertly picking the lock. "Who cares? You'll just be bailed out by the King tomorrow. If we leave early, no one will expect it; you'll be free from this cycle!"

"But…"

"Just trust me, Sheena, please."

"_Why not wing it?" he suggested openly, unaware of the reaction it would draw from his lover. _

"'_Why not wing it'!" she repeated heatedly, unbelieving that he could be so ridiculously calm with a situation that could, in worst case scenario, could cost either of them their life. "Zelos, do you fully comprehend the situation at hand? Either of us could be killed if we screw this up!"_

"_No worries, no worries, babe. I got it all under control." Zelos said waving away her worries with his hand. She wasn't so assured, however…_

"_Oh really?" She replied cockily, "So do I not get a say in this or something?"_

"_Well, do you trust me?" _

And Sheena had answered to the affirmative without hesitation. She had trusted Zelos when he was looking out for her best interests, now it seemed history was repeating itself. What else could she do besides trust Lloyd this time around?

"…Alright,"

* * *

Jay-Arr frowned from his spot at the window sill. He wasn't yet tall enough to effortlessly look through the glass—even in the house of a dwarf—so occasionally he'd place his hands on the sill and hoist himself up. Of course, every time he successfully balanced himself, Colette would walk over and place him back on the floor again. After a while, he decided to become content with his view.

Much to Colette's chagrin, as soon as she'd managed to settle him down, he began bouncing around and pointing outside. "Co-Co! Co-Co! Whisshh, whishh! …Lloyd!"

"What?" she said, walking towards the window. "Is Lloyd back… already?"

"Lloyd, Lloyd! Whishh!"

She squinted, trying to see past the rain. She could make out the shape of a rheaird landing in the distance, and Lloyd… in his nobleman outfit? There was someone following him.

"Stay here," she told Jay-Arr as she went to grab some blankets and towels. It was pretty pointless though, for she knew he'd follow her regardless of anything she might say.

Noishe, who had taken to napping in the corner, lifted his head up lazily at the commotion. He watched as Colette dashed by him, shortly followed by Jay-Arr giggling behind her. Arms filled with blankets, Colette passed him once more, but when Jay-Arr toddled past him, Noishe gently grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Aah!" he screamed in protest when he found he could go no further. He then frowned, sticking out his tongue at Noishe; Noishe just sighed.

Colette flung one blanket over herself and pushed open the door. "Lloyd!"

"Over here!" he replied, waving one arm in the air.

She smiled and hurried over to them. "Here," she said, handing them both a blanket. "It's freezing rain out here! Let's get inside, quickly!"

Once everyone was inside, Colette shut the door with a sigh of relief. As soon as Sheena removed the blanket from her head, Colette exclaimed, "Sheena! You're okay!" and enveloped her in a bear hug.

"Ack, Colette… it's great to see you… too," Sheena gasped; it seemed Colette still didn't recognize her angelic strength wasn't meant to be used for hugs. "Angel… strength…"

"Oh, sorry!" she squeaked, releasing her. "I'm so glad you're okay! At first, I wasn't sure if it was you out there with Lloyd and I didn't want to hug someone I didn't know,"

"You'd hug somebody you didn't know," Lloyd laughed as he dried off his hair.

"Not always!"

Meanwhile, Jay-Arr was not happy being held back by the back of his shirt while Co-Co and Lloyd conversed. Like any toddler, he liked being the center of attention, and he couldn't very well do that while he was stuck in the corner, now could he? "Nooishe!" he whined loudly.

The protozoan just let out a big gust of air through his nose, tickling Jay-Arr on the back of his neck. The toddler screamed with laughter, catching Sheena's attention. Despite being wrapped in a warm blanket, her blood froze when she laid eyes on him. The couple instantly quieted.

At the same time he enjoyed being the center of attention, he also did not like being the outcast. He, too, hushed and looked around expectantly. Why was everyone so quiet? Did something happen?

Noishe sensed the situation and released Jay-Arr from his hold, then nudging him forward with his muzzle.

Sheena hesitantly made her way over to her son, who stood completely still and looked up at her. She knelt down before him and held her arms out to him. He remained motionless.

"Zelos," she said softly after a while. "Jay-Arr."

He wasn't unintelligent, he knew his name. The way she said it though; it confused him. Slowly, he cocked his head to a side and brought a finger up to his chest, as if to ask, "Me?"

She smiled, tears filling her eyes. Something sparkled in his hand, he opened it distractedly. It was the 'red thread' he had grabbed in his game before Lloyd had left. As it began to disappear, he heard the voice of his friend—his friend that only he could see. He listened, and it told him everything.

Zelos Jay-Arr looked into his mother's eyes… and leapt into her arms.

"**_Mommy_**!"

* * *

"…Okay, I understand now, and… I'm sorry for saying what I did." I admit hesitantly, grinning slightly, "Thanks for telling me,"

Mom's quiet for a while. Did she hear me?

"…Mom?"

She blinks like she's returned to the real world, "Huh? What?"

I feel like being angry with her, it's not often that I spill my guts—but I can't. And I shouldn't, really. I mean, how many times do I tune her out when she's talking? She might've been saying sometime important, or some deep, dark secret that's never to be mentioned again and can bring about the destruction of the world!

…But we don't have to talk about me. I'm good at conveniently forgetting things like that.

"Nothing, Mom," I say instead. "Let's go see Origin," …Origin. What a weird name. I wonder…

"…Alright,"


	4. Happily Ever After

**Forever Strong: The Unbroken Promise**

* * *

**A/N:** Well, this is the end. Yup, that's right, I'm puttin' this to bed at long last. Normally I'd be all teary eyed, but not now. Oh no! As I type, a concert but thirty minutes from my house is playing involving three artists of which I'd do just about anything to see, and are playing THE SINGLE GREATEST HAPPY SONG IN THE WHOLE DARNED WORLD (which also happens to be the 'theme' for The Brothers Wilder—in my head, anyway). That's right, folks. The "Me and My Gang" Tour by Rascal Flatts is comin' across the continuous United States and has stopped in their home state of Ohio to play… and I'm not there. Where am I? Oh, sitting in a quiet room staring at a computer screen wishing I was there.

…Enough about that pish-posh. Sealed Fates will be updated within the next forty eight hours. That's all I gotta say. Well, that, and thanks for everything, Sheelos lovers.

**!WARNING!**: THIS ENDS _HAPPILY_! YAAY!

* * *

"Here it is, Origin—"

"If his name is 'Origin', like 'beginning', then why is there a tombstone here?"

She sighs (almost impatiently), "Does it matter?" she turns solemnly to the stone, "...Origin, for what reason have you called us?"

A voice rains down from the sky. It's deep, with a hint of an accent of some sort. Normally, I'd be kinda curious as to the voice and its origin (hah!), but after seeing most of the Summon Spirits and other weird things of this world, I'm just more surprised at that fact that I didn't see it coming. **"Pact-maker Sheena, I have called you in regards of a new pact,"**

"A new pact!" she exclaims, "But why? Did I break my vow or something?"

"**I apologize, let me rephrase that. I have called you here in regards of a new _deal_..."**

The way he says it, it sounds like something someone'd say after betting off something—or someone, perhaps?—in a game of cards, then losing the hand. Luckily, it's nothing of the sort.

"**It's taken him sometime, but he's finally upheld his end of the agreement. Now all I need is your word,"**

She frowns, "Well, sure, but is he...?" her words trail off as she starts to smile keenly.

"_Me_?"

Mom turns around hurriedly, I follow suit... and I can't believe it. I feel as if I'm looking into a mirror except I'm older with red hair and it's not me that I'm looking at, but...

He answers her with a kiss—a _long, deep_ kiss. It makes me feel awkward, just kinda standing here... watching them... they probably forgot I'm here...

Eventually they separate—but only if a supernova exploded between them would Mom let go of him—and the man turns to look at me; I try to mask my disclosure and trepidation. All the while Mom becomes a little uneasy with this, but that's not of my concern right now. I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea of this guy appearing out of nowhere, and then frenching my mom out of the blue.

After a moment, he raises an eyebrow and grins like he's won. "What's the matter, kid?" he says, "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Okay... now I'm a bit angry. "Where do you get off calling me a kid? You're only a couple years older than me, at best!"

She looks ready to intervene but the guy laughs casually; it makes me all the more livid. That was probably his plan, and—damn it all—it's working. "Hehehe, I'm flattered,"

I drop my guard for the moment. _Hehehe_? It brings back... fuzzy memories from my early childhood that I can't seem to shake... Red, pink, Lloyd and Colette's house, a friend... almost like...

...No, it's nothing.

I withdraw my sword and point it directly at him. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I don't like you. Get away from my mother!"

Again, she looks ready to intervene—and again, that guy keeps her from doing so. He chuckles enigmatically and takes a step away from her, holding his hands in the air—but by no means in resignation. "The kid's really protective of you, isn't he, Sheena? How cute,"

"Stop mocking me!" I shout angrily.

"I'm not mocking you,"

I can't bite down my rage any longer and charge at him—my mom's right next to him, but she can move away fast enough, if she knows what's good for her. I am also aware of how dangerous these blades can be to those who can't defend against them properly, but it's not like I'm out to kill the guy, I just want him to get away from us. That's all.

As I thought, she jumps to the side with great haste, while he reaches instinctively to his left hip. Nothing's there, idiot.

He realizes such, and gapes at my mom out of the corner of his eye. "Sheena, you—"

She holds her hands up in defense, "I thought it was appropriate!"

He sighs inwardly but keeps his gaze focused on me. Just as I bring down my sword to strike, he puts up his right forearm to halt my attack as it ends up hitting my hand. He uses his arm to push me back a bit and lunges towards me quicker than I could've imagined, I only have time to throw up my own arm in defense.

Instead, he grabs my sword and attempts to take it from me—and he's a lot stronger than I thought. It takes both of my hands to keep a firm grip on the hilt; soon enough, it turns into a one-sided bout of tug-of-war.

"Let go!" I blurt, "This is my father's sword, and I'm not giving it up to the likes of you!"

He stops pulling—though still holding on with enough strength to keep me at bay—and replies calmly, "And what if _your father_ wants it back?"

"Wha-what?"

"Um, Jay-Arr..." Mom steps in, almost timidly. "This... is your father, Zelos."

I can't do anything but gape at this man—my father? MY father?—with my mouth hanging slightly ajar. But it can't be... my dad's dead! Isn't he? He is! Does that mean... can Origin really bring back the dead? Or... I blink; no, everyone's still here, this isn't a dream...

Simultaneously, I stop pulling back and release by grip on the sword, causing my momentum to carry me backwards until—!

* * *

"...Huh? Hey, are you okay? ...Hey!"

"What? Is he okay? What happened?"

"...Don't worry, he's fine. Heh, guess we really need to work on our subtlety..."

"No kidding. Did you even have any clue what you were doing?"

"Nope, just wingin' it!"

Sheena let out an exasperated sigh; at least she knew that he was still the man she married sixteen years ago—and hadn't changed since. She knelt to wake up their son, but Zelos stopped her, saying, "Let him be. He's gonna have a lot on his plate when he wakes up. Besides, I need to talk to you, alone for a while."

"Okay, but just stay right here," she replied, moving to a sitting position. "I don't want him to wake up and think we ran off on him."

"Fair enough." He said, sitting down next to her. He hesitated slightly before continuing, but he did so in a lower tone of voice. "...I heard how... rough your life was after I died, I'm sorry."

"For what?" she said. "You're sorry for dying? Don't be, there's no point in it. You're alive now, aren't you?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, I know. But still, I feel really bad for puttin' you through hell..."

Sheena shook her head, speaking finally. "It's over and done with, so don't worry about it." She said, "…But… you know the next couple weeks aren't going to be easy sailing?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "I know that feeling. After my mother died and father left, I had to have Sebastian as my parental figure—and for months I hated him."

"I certainly hope it doesn't last that long. I mean, not that I think it would." She the smiled, "At that age, if I had found my parents, I'd secretly hate them for a long time for abandoning me, but more than anything else I'd be overjoyed to just have them there, y'know?"

"While I can't say the same thing about my parents, yeah, I understand."

Sheena nodded, but inside she still felt unsure. Not about Jay-Arr or herself, but about Zelos. Naturally she was ecstatic with his return—it's not as if she wanted him to leave again—however she just worried about how much of a lifestyle change this was going to be for him, and if he could really handle it after being an inch from a playboy his entire life.

"…Zelos," she started hesitantly; he looked to her with question in his eyes, awaiting her inquiry. "…Are you sure you're going to be ready for this change? That is… I-I mean…"

Zelos saw through her confident pretense to her uncertainty; he didn't blame her. He was actually unsure of how ready he was for this, himself. "In all honesty, Sheena…" he said, "I never—and I mean _never_—saw anything like this in my future. I always thought I'd die from kidney failure from drinking too much, or from committing suicide or something of that sort far before I'd ever go through with The Ritual of the Chosen." He stopped, looking for the right words. "I think… I thought the former because I never saw myself as much worth to anyone else other than a one night stand open twenty-four seven.

"Now, though, after finding that I do have some worth to others—as pathetic as it may be—" he chuckled, remembering Lloyd's words just before releasing him from the traps before their battle with Mithos. "I realized just how… pointless the life I led before was. …And as sappy and cheesy and whatever this may sound, I wouldn't give up the life with you I have now for anything else."

She smiled teasingly, "What if—"

"Don't—" he quieted her, knowing exactly what she was going to say. "Don't you try and tempt me now, I've made up my mind."

Sheena couldn't help but snicker as she leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. "…It's great to have you back, Zelos."

Zelos smirked, kissing her lightly on the top of her head.

"It's great to be back,"

* * *

_**Fin...**_


End file.
